


By Your Side

by DaughteroftheSeven (APeculiarPersuasion)



Category: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Video Game), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Before the Calamity, Coming of Age, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Fluff (mostly might get into angst later), Hopefully will in fact end with domecesticity of the highest order, I'm planning on this to be slowburnish? not sure though, Lesbian Urbosa (Legend of Zelda), MeetCute, Romance, Royalty meetcute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:20:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29649849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/APeculiarPersuasion/pseuds/DaughteroftheSeven
Summary: As young Urbosa embarks on her coming-of-age journey through Hyrule, she struggles to balance time spent between advocating for her people and taking time to learn about herself. Perhaps the help of another Gerudo is all she needs to learn how to unwind as they travel the world together.
Relationships: Urbosa/Orignal Gerudo Character
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Divine Guidance

"If there's one thing I won't miss..." Urbosa grumbled, sawing her way through the underbrush of the Faron region, "It's this accursed rain." The young Gerudo had been thrown off her path by the storm, which had ruined her map. Losing one’s way was not an altogether uncommon occurrence for Gerudo women on their _Atur_ \- their coming-of-age journey. The standard time taken away from Gerudo Town was more than a year for most, so it wasn't as though anyone was waiting on them back at home. However, young Urbosa was not just any Gerudo _vai_. As the future Chief of the valley, her _Atur_ was more structured than most, and the more time she spent wrestling with the dense ferns and creatures of the Faron Woods, the less time she would have before she was expected at the Castle.

The rain was no small distraction on its own. As a desert-faring people, the Gerudo were well-prepared for drought and famine, but flood was where they crumbled. Even Urbosa, who was able to deflect lightning with powers that ran in her bloodline, was not immune to the irritating effects of the weather. Though Faron was a rainforest, it was still colder than she was used to. Her plain traveling clothes soaked up significantly more water than she was used to. The loose blouse and gauze-legged trousers clung to her skin like moss to a rock. The only part of her gear that was built for this kind of weather were the leather boots she had traded for in the bazaar several weeks ago. Some Hylian _vai_ from Tabantha had traveled through, hungry for fine Gerudo crafted jewelry. Hopefully, the Chief wouldn't notice her daughter's jewelry box felt lighter than usual.

Luckily, as she hacked her way through another dense bush, she came upon the path once again. The Hylian crown had difficulties as of late maintaining its massive infrastructure throughout the country, so it was beginning to wash away beneath their feet. Where there had once been cobblestone, now sandy dirt and foliage was making its home. However, a route was a route. Hopefully, she would be able to ask for directions when she came to the next Hylian settlement. What she wouldn't have given for a sand seal, or even a horse. As a crack of lightning spread across the sky, Urbosa shook that thought away. Horses were good creatures, strong, but quick to startle - not to mention, she had a hard enough time finding one among Hylians she could comfortably ride.

Stables, however, were always a welcome sight. As the forest canopy opened up above her, she came across the Southern Lakeside stable. Infrastructure might have been failing due to Hyrule's trade negotiations, but Urbosa had become deeply grateful for their dedication to travelers. She could camp outside with no qualms, but a warm blanket and hot meal were always welcome. The sun was beginning to set as well - at least, she believed so. It was difficult to tell, with the rain coming down in such thick sheets. Regardless, she was content to call it a fine day of travel. Her pace increased as she jogged to the shelter, ducking her head so she could speak with the manager of the stable beneath its canopy.

She'd always known Hylians were a small people, but it was only apparent how ludicrously short they were when she interacted with their structures. In many smaller buildings she was constantly ducking, but the stables, usually housed in tents, were tall enough that she could properly stretch out. Admittedly, she was tall, even for a Gerudo - she was nearing eleven feet, and it was not unknown for her kind to keep growing until their mid-20s. The stablemaster blinked a few times as he saw the woman run for cover - if she had been Hylian, her speed would have been because of a mad sprint rather than an easy jog. He had met a few Gerudo in his 50 years, but not many. They seldom visited the Faron region, presumably because of their aversion to the climate. It was also usually less interesting to them. Settlements were further apart than they were in central Hyrule, and there was little to trade for outside of the treasures of the sea. These very seldom took the form of anything other than fish, as luck would have it, and most Gerudo were instead interested in the fletchers of Hebra or the gems dug out of Death Mountain. 

"Good evening, miss. Awful night for it, isn't it?"

"Terrible night," she replied with a slight smile. "Although it's comforting to hear that from someone else. Do you have any room tonight?"

"I'd find a way to make room. Wouldn't want anyone being struck by lightning out there, would I?"

"Of course not. How much?"

"Fifteen rupees for the bed and another ten if you'd like supper and breakfast."

Urbosa's hand slipped around to the purse hidden beneath her scabbard, fishing around until she found a few blue rupees and a red. She was going to have to make change soon – her _vavhis_ , her mothers had sent her with mostly gold, which didn't have much use outside of largescale trades, as it turned out. 

"Thank you very much. Now come in and dry off by the fire, you look half frozen!"

Urbosa was never so happy to follow instructions. As most stables in Hyrule, the tent's walls were of a simple green canvas, adorned with various maps of the region, a few wanted posters, some other neighborhood gossip, and a line of simple, but clean beds along the outskirts. They had moved their fire inside with a small ventilation flap in the ceiling. It wasn't the best option, perhaps, but it was welcomed by the travelers. There weren't as many as she might have guessed - perhaps the weather had driven those who were planning to travel off earlier in the day. Two men were asleep on the far end, away from the fire, tucked up under the covers with a few cloaks set out to dry and a few stable hands sat at a crude table near the fire. Aside from them, however, she was all alone with the Stable master.

Once the man had tendered his payment, he slipped around to the back counter to speak with his new guest. 

"I usually ask where my new friends are from, but I think I can make a safe bet on that. Instead, I'll ask you where you've been."

Urbosa, who had cozied up to the fire and was currently in the process of wringing out her waist-length braid, smirked a bit to herself. "We don't all live in Gerudo town, you know. There's more of us throughout the desert." 

"Forgive me, I shouldn't have assumed."

"It's alright. I am from Gerudo Town." She rubbed her hands together for a moment. "I only left ten days ago. I wanted to visit a few places in the valley before really starting my journey."

"Is that so? May I ask where? I've never been further West than Lake Hylia."

"I've been working with a few others to compile a history of my people. We've uncovered some ruins to the South we believe to hold the key to a long-standing legend."

The arbiter’s grounds, far South of Gerudo Town. Many of the inscriptions on the structures they had unearthed had been lost to the sands of time - quite literally, as it so happened. However, the further they were able to dig, the more legible the lettering became. With only sand to contend with, rather than the not infrequent sandstorms of the region, Gerudo archeologists were able to work with more than they had previously. The influx of trade from a route with the Gorons had opened many doors for the desert people, and they were using it to track their own past. Until now, much of their history had been told in oral tradition, but with these new insights, they had reason to believe they could trace their history beyond even the calamity of 10,000 years ago. If they were correct about their hypothesis, this newly unearthed site could be the place of the dark King Ganondorf's execution so long ago.

"Interesting. You know, our Crown is doing the same... Lots of old Sheikah artefacts are being dug up around the Hebra region."

"I'd heard as much. I'll be watching to see just what they can find." She didn't need to tell him that she and the Queen had been helping each other plan their various excavations. Relations between Hyrule and Gerudo Valley had not always been so kind, but each leader knew they were to discover unsavory secrets about their own history. Things they might have rather left in the past... But each woman strongly believed in learning from the mistakes of that same past.

"I don't expect it'll be much, I'm afraid. Most of it has been rotting in the ground for 10,000 years, after all. But who knows? There's always room for a few mysteries, isn't there?" He smiled, wiping down the front counter in a futile attempt to keep the wood from completely splintering in the humidity.

"You've come from the South, then?"

"Mmhm. I stopped at the Statues of the Seven to pray for good fortune. By that point, it was easier to cut through the valley and go along the shore...." She was finally starting to dry off and was able to stretch out a bit in the light of the fire, neck rolling back with a crack. "I didn't think the ocean would feel like that.... It's like you've stepped into a salt bath, even when you're on the shore."

"Heh.... We hear that a lot. You can hear sea stories all day, but nothing prepares you for the air. How do you like Hyrule?"

"It's an interesting country. Culture shock, as you can imagine." She remembered the first time she'd left the valley with her _vavhis_ \- she was barely ten, but she was already taller than most of the Hylians she met. That had been the first time she'd met the Princess Zelda... The Princess was several years her junior - at her height, Urbosa had been surprised she could even speak yet. The bonding experience of being made to sit through territory negotiations was enough to strike their friendship hard as stone. Though both heirs were characteristically well-behaved, such young girls could only hold still for so long.

The stablemaster studied the young woman for a moment. She seemed a level-headed sort, much more mature than other Gerudo women he'd met. Perhaps she was older than he thought - or maybe he was becoming more agreeable in his old age. He smiled to himself, getting ready to switch shifts with the night watchman. 

"I hope you enjoy the Faron region while you're here, then. Do you have travel plans in the morning?"

"I'd thought to make Lurelin. I was hoping to go as the heron flies, but the weather had other plans...."

"Unfortunately, that's usually the case in these parts. A lot of Gerudos who pass this way are heading for Lover's Pond, if you needed a distraction before you arrive."

"I'm not familiar." She could guess, of course, and nearly laughed at the suggestion. Though she was about the age where she ought to start thinking about children, she certainly wasn't going to look for an opportunity so early in her journey. 

"We have an old legend of our own around here. A pond on top of the mountains between here and Lurelin - they say if you meet someone there, you'll be tied for the rest of your lives."

"That sounds a bit fatalistic, does it not?" She chuckled, easing back onto her hands. "Perhaps we have a different notion of destiny."

"Perhaps. Just a suggestion, Miss." The stablemaster shrugged, still affable enough in defeat. "Either way - Lurelin is a day's travel to the east, just across Flora bridge. The map's over there if you'd like to compare notes."

He jerked his head towards the Faron map spread across the Eastern wall. Urbosa nodded her understanding.

"I won't keep you up any longer." Hylians needed so much more sleep than Gerudo. She didn't want to be cruel.

"It's no trouble. If you need anything, my daughter will be up to help."

Another nod. "Thank you. You've been very kind."

Urbosa turned back to the fire, letting her muscles slowly unwind in the warmth of its glow. She hadn't realized just how wound up the rain made her, between the natural response against being wet for long periods of time and the sheer cold of it. Soon, her hair dried to the touch, as well as her clothes, and she could comfortably lean back on the ground. She stole a headrest from one of the beds, knowing better than to try to make herself comfortable on one by now.

However, try as she might, she couldn't force herself to sleep. She might have been exhausted, but too many thoughts plagued her. How was the research going? Were preparations for the festival of the Seven underway? Was everyone safe back home? There had been increased raids on Gerudo Town by some mysterious force dressed in red and black. Few had seen them and even fewer claimed to have knowledge of their intentions or affiliations. That was part of the reason she had scheduled a rendezvous with the Hylian Royalty - properly, rather than stopping by for a few days. She doubted these strangers were allied with the crown in any way, but. Well. Wires had gotten crossed before.

They seemed to be after several Gerudo artefacts that had been handed down through generations, or those recently unearthed. The thunderhelm, the circlet of Din... Some of these objects were purely symbolic, but the magic woven into others was a frightening thought in the wrong hands. The Chieftain was considering closing Gerudo Town to all non-Gerudo for the time being, but this was a remarkably risky move, considering their newfound prosperity at the opening of trade routes. Urbosa had sworn it to herself to get to the bottom of these thieves’ plan and see to it that the appropriate governing body put them to justice. If that justice was at the end of her sword, so be it.

After some time, she gave up on sleep and stood, bones cracking and groaning in protest. She could only imagine how strenuous this would be if she hadn't spent the last few weeks preparing... The weather had cleared up outside, leaving a glistening layer of dew and small rivers in the dirt in its wake. It was a bit cooler than she would have liked, but the humidity more than made up for it. It was like being enveloped in a hug from one's least favorite relative. 

She stayed close to the stable but ventured a bit further to the road leading to the bridge. The waterfall was in drastic relief in the moonlight now that the clouds had cleared enough for light to peek through. They absolutely roared, nearly silencing the natural noises of the jungle. The new swell of rainfall was making its own journey to the ocean, which was a shorter leap than anyone would have guessed. Urbosa found a spot beneath a Durian tree, which had been scoped out to make sure none of the heavy fruit was ripe enough to fall on her.

She sat, one leg crossed over the other, shoulders flexing into the spiny, but tamed tree trunk. This should be a period of reflection for the young _Aquulifan,_ the chieftan-in-waiting, but she had trouble seeing the past or future for the present. When she did think of the future, she could only do so through the lens of her duty - a life of servitude and leadership for her people. She never would have rejected her destiny. She adored those who had given her life, who had raised her in open arms. But when she tried to think of herself, of Urbosa free of the bonds of civic duties... She didn't know what she saw. When she had visited the Statues of the Seven, she had nearly begged her patron to give her a sign. An answer, anything to lead her in the right direction. That was part of the reason for her interest in archeology - if she could see her past, through the view of her people, perhaps she could understand herself... Nothing had come to her yet.

She shook her head back, admonishing herself for impatience. Sometimes young _vai_ didn't return for years at a time. She had to be giving. Understanding of herself, her flaws... If only she wasn't on a time constraint.

The unmistakable sense of electricity crackling the hairs on the back of her neck snapped her from her thoughts. She immediately prepared a protection barrier - though she could control lightening, she knew it could just as easily turn on her. Mostly, Urbosa was perplexed. The storm clouds had gone, and there didn't seem to be any monsters wielding lightening in the area... A glint caught her eye as she leapt to her feet, head tilted back all the way. A huge, serpent-like creature was drifting - no, flying? - over the falls, headed straight through the river. Her green eyes widened. Nothing had prepared her for a creature of this magnitude here... Where had it come from? Was it hostile?

Out of habit, she drew her scimitar. It wouldn’t be useful against something so large, but she felt safer with the cool bronze hilt in her hand. Luckily, the great yellow-gold dragon seemed entirely unconcerned with the visitor, the stable, or nearly anything in its way. It flowed over the falls as if it were a natural part of the water, serene as the moon above it. It seemed to know its way through the rapids without even looking, as if this was a nightly routine. Urbosa could only gawk. The electricity she'd felt was certainly coming from this beast. She could see spandrels of lightning bolts coming off its scales, frying a few unlucky keese that hadn't heeded the wind's warning, but it seemed not to make any thought of it. It simply existed in the cliffs, as if it had always flown through this region, and always would...

It slowly flew through the valley, every would-be assailant in the form of stray birds and keese fell back within a moment. Just as its tail slipped over the cliff across from the waterfalls, Urbosa finally blinked. She couldn't be sure she wasn't dreaming. There were stories of dragons in Hyrule, but the general explanation was that they had all died out millennia ago... If that was true, what had she just seen? A sign? A hallucination? It was difficult for her not to immediately interpret it as an answer of the divine, though she wasn't able to decipher just what that answer was. She stared at the air that the creature had occupied for several more minutes before she slowly sheathed her sword. She couldn't say she understood what had just happened, nor that it had happened at all. Regardless of the dragon's trajectory, intent, or meaning, it had at least successfully cleared her head. Transfixed, nearly, she couldn't spare a thought for anything more than the wonder of her experience. No wonder so many _vai_ returned to town as changed women. 

Urbosa returned to the stable and her place by the now glowing embers of what had once been the fire she was greeted with. She laid down, pulling a blanket off the bed as well. The night had grown colder, and her hair was still too damp for comfort. As she curled her knees to her chest, she turned to face the map once again.

“Lover's pond, hm?” She murmured.

She supposed she could spare some time for a sight-seeing trip.


	2. The Songs of One's Homeland

Through either the sheer exhaustion of negotiating the Faron region the day before or the shock of last night's experience, Urbosa slept dreamlessly for several hours longer than she typically would. Gerudo didn't need much sleep (and frequently took a mid-afternoon nap to avoid the heat of the midday desert), but she was up with hardly any time to spare before the rest of the travelers awoke. She had fully dried out, save a pair of slightly damp socks. She could spare a bit of time in her sandals, so long as she didn't stray too far from the road. She at least had a true itinerary this time. She rolled up to a sitting position on her makeshift cot, feeling a few joints crack as they were called into action. 

The stable's main room was beginning to fill with the scent of cooking breakfast. A few cucco eggs and rice pudding. She certainly wouldn't complain. Anything to relieve her of dried meat and whatever she could reliably forage from the woods. Unfortunately, that wasn't much. For some reason, botany hadn't presented itself to be a necessary piece of education so far out in the desert. She could hardly tell her saffinas apart at the market. 

A few other travelers were beginning to rouse as she finished her breakfast of honeyed rice, blinking at the tall figure now comfortably standing in the early morning sun. Many rural Hylians hadn't met a Gerudo before, so she was more than used to the stares. She couldn't pretend not to be at least slightly amused by some of their reactions - one _voe_ had fallen off the rock which he'd been fishing from. She flashed them a smile before slipping over to the stablemaster's assistant. She was exhausted from tending the counter all night, but equally relieved to be able to sleep now that more of her colleagues had woken up.

"Excuse me, miss?"

"Mm? Oh, yes ma'am?" Her eyes kept searching up until she found Urbosa’s eyes.

"Do you know the way to Lover's Pond?"

"I've never been there myself, but I know the general route. You follow the bridge across Lake Floria, and then there's a fork to the right. From there, there's a path all the way up the mountain. You ought to be careful, though. There's been reports of thieves that way."

"I'll take my chances. Thank you, miss." 

Urbosa returned to her bedroll to replace the blankets and headrest on the cot she'd borrowed them from, as well as to apply her lipstick before embarking. It was silly, but it was a nice connection to home so far outside of the desert. She'd started wearing a darker blue than usual, but she thought it reflected the darker flecks of green in her eyes. She swept her bangs back behind her ear, pinning it back with a few hair sticks, and adjusted her knapsack’s strap on her back. She wasn't missing anything from the night before - not that she'd expected to, but one never knew. Urbosa hadn't brought much of value with her, but she would rather not lose all her money so early on her _Atur_. 

When she stepped back into the wide-open world, the humidity had already begun to hang heavy in the air. Though she always preferred heat over freezing rain, the humidity was something which Urbosa had yet to get used to. She was already just as wet as she had been the night before when she crossed the bridge over the falls. She could hardly hear the sounds of the jungle over the roaring of the falls. It was astonishing to see so much water all at once. How lucky the farmers nearby must have been to have so much fertile land. 

The jungle started to thin out around mid-morning when the air hung in steaming clouds around her knees. She would have called it fog, had it risen above eye level. However, once she found herself in open fields, much of the humidity started to evaporate, and by the time she reached the fork in the road, she was nearly dry once again. 

"I ought to have brought my wrap. At least I can wring that out in the sun..." She murmured, studying the road sign at the fork.

Just as the stable hand had reassured her, Lurelin was to the left of this road. Calling the right side a road was a gross overstatement, though. It was little more than a dear path down to the beach - it didn't seem as if there had ever been a proper road put down in gravel, let alone paving stones. However, a feeling deep within her gut told her this was important... Or maybe she just wanted to stall herself. Ten days away from home had stirred up quite a few anxieties that she didn't know how to handle properly. She could only discuss so much with her _vavhis_. Of course, she trusted her mothers in matters of governance, but how does one properly express how nervous one is about her succession? After all, the chieftain was beginning to get on in years - at least for a Gerudo. It probably wouldn't be too long before Urbosa became chieftain, either by her mother stepping down, or...

Urbosa shook the thought from her head. She knew her _vavhi_ would pass someday, but now was not the time to pass that around in her head. To distract herself, she challenged herself to reach this pond before midday. She had no idea how much physical effort that was going to exert, but if she were exhausted, her thoughts couldn't keep up with her. That was the hope, anyway.

The sandy white beaches whizzed past her peripheral vision, complete with the blindingly bright reflection of the sun flashing off the ocean. Palm trees dotted the shore, a familiar, if ecologically distinct entity than the ones which sprouted around oases in the desert. She'd learned these tasted much sweeter firsthand - these were practically candy compared to the fruit borne by trees in the valley! She was tempted to scale one to find some of the fruit, but she was making fantastic time. The beach was replaced with grass as the path started sloping upwards towards the aforementioned mountain range. They towered above the bay, blotting out the sun until high noon. The first stretch was easy enough that Urbosa was able to keep up with her steady jog, but before she knew it, she was faced with a nearly sheer drop. Her brow furrowed, breathing heavily, as she looked around. this was surely where the path had led her, but the cliff face was nearly twice her height! She could hardly imagine a Hylian scaling such a wall... However, this excursion had now become a challenge. And Gerudo did hate unfinished business.

She was able to find a few holes for hand rests and, after making sure nothing venomous had made its home inside, hefted herself up the wall. She was surprised to find the small path continued onward, albeit in an even wilder state than it had before she'd climbed up. Evidently, she was still on the right road - or at least, a right road.

She continued on this way, a sloped path followed by a wall to climb, until she was greeted with the sharpest cliff she'd ever climbed. She'd practiced climbing near the cliffs when she was preparing for her _Atur_ , but nothing like this. She was already sweaty and sore. The sun was beginning to follow the line of the sea - it would be night soon, much to her chagrin. However, as she turned to squint along the route she had taken, she thought she heard the faint tune of a flute. A familiar flute - not a Hylian flute, high in pitch and fluttery in practice. The dulcet tones of a Gerudo _sultaru_ , lower in tone and smooth enough to forget notes had even changed. It was coming from the next leap up. Whether it was curiosity or her own sense of challenge, she had to make it up - at least to the next plateau.

That was easier said than done, however. Her muscles, strong as they were, were not used to such steady use. The first assault on the cliff had her falling flat on her back before she'd made it halfway. The wind knocked out of her, she stared up at the sky for a few moments. Pain seized her chest as she recovered, a strong sign to stop what she was doing. But, as she pushed herself up with a groan, she knew she wasn't going to give up so easily. She pulled the knapsack from her back and retrieved a few rations, as well as the Hylian boots. they were mostly dried through, as were the socks that went with them. They'd surely be better footwear than her heeled sandals. She hoped - her next option was barefoot, and calloused though her feet were, she knew they'd be bloodied by the time she made it up the wall. She assessed her hands, which had been roughed up and scraped, but were certainly capable of the feat, and tied her hair back more strongly. The run had knocked some of her curls loose, along with her bangs. Once she'd finished her snack, she replaced the sack tightly on her hip and began the ascent again. 

This time she was able to make it nearly all the way up before she could feel her legs tremble. She could nearly reach the top as her thighs locked up. The cliff was nearly four times her height with no climbing equipment or training - it was a stronger feat than she wanted to admit. 

The flute music drifted over the cliffside once again. This time a familiar melody to accompany the familiar instrument. If a Gerudo did not rest on top of this cliff, she'd be very surprised. The tune was one played traditionally during the festival of the Seven, which would begin in a week. It was played during the entrance of the chieftain, accompanied by her _Aquulifan_ \- her daughter. Urbosa knew the tune well. She could have sung the accompanying verses had she not been in such a predicament. It was almost fitting that this would be her entrance.

With one final burst of strength, Urbosa was able to heave herself over the cliffside, rolling onto her side. Her legs felt weak, spasming in protest of having to perform under such little notice. However, as she wiped the sweat from her brow and the fine hairs back into line, she couldn't help but grin to herself. A feat won under poor odds was worth a thousand sure bets.

This was where the trail mostly ended, but the flute's song was more than enough to lead her to her destination once she was able to peel herself from the ground. She followed the song across the gently sloping plateau, only to come across a very small pond, curiously in the shape of a heart. Legend or not, she could understand where the area had gotten its name... Between that and the trek it had taken to find the place at all, she could understand where the legend had come from as well. What a task to climb a mountain, just to find one's true love.

Flippant as she had been with the stablemaster, she couldn't help but find the concept interesting. Gerudo _vai_ had only recently - historically speaking - started entering long term relations with their Hylian partners. Not all did, of course. Many Gerudo were content to traditionally find a man during their _Atur_ and return with child several months later. But, as relations between the Gerudo and Hylians had sweetened, the concept of marriage was an appealing novelty to some young Gerudo. Of course, these men could not be allowed in the walls of Gerudo Town, or many of the Gerudo sects which migrated across the desert with their goats and sand seals. Most lived in the bazaar, or in their hometowns to meet with their wives for several months of the year. There were also Gerudo who partnered with other Gerudo. Her mothers lived in such a marraige. Perhaps it was her upbringing, but this had always seemed a much more appealing arrangement to Urbosa. Even a Hylian _vai_ seemed more appealing than a _voe_ in her eyes.

She didn't often think of such arrangements, but the distraction of a young Gerudo, sitting cross legged on the other side of the pond was enough to bring such preferences to mind.


	3. Warnings from the Past

Urbosa was usually wary around strangers she met on the road - one could never be too careful. She knew as well as the stable hand that thieves were all too common along the more well-traveled paths of Hyrule. However, she was transfixed by the woman seated across from her.

She hadn't noticed Urbosa yet, apparently too caught up in her music to be stopped by something as trivial as someone sneaking up on her. To her credit, they were halfway up a mountain range with sheer cliffs to most sides. Urbosa may not have been quiet in her ascent, but she made no more noise than the local wildlife.

The tune she played was one Urbosa didn't recognize, and clearly had not been arranged for the _sultaru_ it was being played on. It was beautiful none-the-less. The tone of a _sultaru_ was built to be accompanied by drums and vocals - occasionally a type of lyre called a _stirnral_. On its own, it sounded plaintive, wanting... If Urbosa had known the words to this song, she might have felt the need to hum along.

The musician hadn't gone without notice either. She was on the shorter side for a Gerudo, from what Urbosa could tell. Maybe eight, eight and a half feet tall when she stood up. She had styled her hair in a shorter style which had recently become fashionable in Gerudo Town but was more frequently seen in the nomadic tribes. It framed her face, swaying slightly in the breeze and the movement as her fingers danced along the holes of her flute. Her shoulders were slight, decorated in ink with several swirls Urbosa recognized as the emblems of the Heroine of Skill. She wore a forest green, modified Hylian-made coat as if it were a Gerudo-made blouse, coming up short on her torso. She'd managed to keep her _Sirwal_ , which was dyed a deep, ocean blue. Like Urbosa, she'd bartered for more appropriate footwear on her travels, though these looked closer to Zora craftsmanship than the Tabantha leather boots that Urbosa wore. Clearly, she had been on her _Atur_ for quite some time to have accumulated so many foreign wares.

Urbosa's gaze fell again on her face. Her skin was the color of fresh, damp earth and smooth as the water that ran through a brook. With her eyes closed, she could tell that she wore green eye chalk, which contrasted with a coat of copper-gold lipstick. She had drawn several spirals on the side of either eye, which matched the ones etched into her shoulders. She wore hoop-style earrings, set with sapphires and rubies to protect against heat and frost, respectively. Her nose was straight and strong, drawing her face into two perfect halves. The only blemish she bore was a small scar which ran from her right ear to the beginning of her jawline, but that was not uncommon among Gerudo women. Most didn't make it through basic protection training without a few scars in odd places.

When she had caught her breath, Urbosa meant to speak up, but she had forgotten intentions. She was not a naive woman in the ways of the world. She understood what an attractive person looked like in theory, but never before had she been so taken with another person. Certainly not one she hadn't properly met. Had she not had the wind knocked out of her minutes ago, she might have thought she'd stopped breathing all together. 

The song came to an abrupt end when the woman opened her eyes, the flute falling from her hands with a dull thud as it hit the ground. She gasped and, out of instinct, she rolled back over her shoulder onto her feet with an impressive display of acrobatics. Her hand fell to the spear leaning up against the rock wall behind her that she carried for protection. By the same instinct, Urbosa drew her scimitar from the scabbard on her hip. She didn't expect a fight - even if she did, she was rather distracted to stay in form - but it never hurt to be prepared.

The strange Gerudo’s brown eyes searched Urbosa's form, first falling on her sword before slipping up to her face. Admittedly, it had been some time since she had visited Gerudo Town, but she could almost swear that...

Oh, Good Lady of Protection, she had just pulled a weapon on the _Aquulifan_.

Her spear went the way of the flute, though given her roll up the slope,it fell into the pond. She didn't pay the splash of metal into water any mind as she immediately dropped to a knee, head bowed deeply. 

"Noble one. Forgive me, I-"

Urbosa shook her head, an amused smile finding its way back onto her lips. "Dismissed, my friend."

The woman dared raise her head to meet Urbosa's eyes, though she didn't stand up just yet. She'd thought herself all alone in the world on top of the small plateau, but had she thought to meet anyone.... The Chieftain’s daughter wouldn’t have leapt to mind. 

A pause fell between the two as they both recovered from the shock of their near scrape.

"... What is your name, my friend?" Urbosa asked, slipping back into her native tongue for the first time in nearly a fortnight.

"Stanna, noble one," the young woman repeated back in Gerudo.

"Please, call me Urbosa. We're not in the desert, are we?" Honorifics didn't bother Urbosa, but this was a different setting. She was trying to leave her responsibilities back home, at least until she reached the castle. 

"I... Suppose we aren't..."

Urbosa took a few steps closer, stopping near the apex of the pond. She bent over and pushed aside the long blades of grass to find the flute. "I believe this is yours?"

"Yes..." She pushed herself back up, confirming Urbosa's suspicions. Stanna reached Urbosa's shoulder and she had to crane a bit to look her in the eye. 

"Thank you, Aqu- Urbosa." The name stuck in her throat. She never expected to be on a public-name basis with a future Chieftain. Though her family didn't live in Gerudo Town, she knew better than to disrespect their leader, or any member of her family.

"You play beautifully. I'm not familiar with that piece."

"I learned it from a Rito man in the highlands. He said he was an apprentice on a journey of his own."

"Is that so? How long have you been traveling?" Urbosa, starting to feel the real ache of her journey up the mountain, finally gave into her exhaustion and sat beside the pool. She rolled up the cuffs on her already shortened pants and took off her shoes and socks so she could rest her feet in the pool.

"Just over two months." Stanna, put at ease by Urbosa's relaxed mannerisms, took after her lead and sat down where she had been resting before she was interrupted. "But I've only been in Hyrule for one. You could say I took the long route out of the desert."

She couldn't have meant... "When you said the highlands..."

Stanna allowed herself a quiet laugh, nodding along with Urbosa's assumption.

"I did, right over the mountains. We tend to go North first in my family... I suppose we're always heading North, though. Our grazing lands are beyond the Southernmost Ruins."

"I didn't know anyone lived so far in the wastes anymore... Does your family often visit Gerudo Town?"

"Usually only for festivals. We tend to keep to ourselves."

Urbosa nodded, rolling back onto her palms so each vertebra was allowed to slip back into a more comfortable state. 

"Star followers... Who is your _proefacti_?" The leader of her group and the main point of communication with the chieftain.

"Vontra. My mother's name is Jontu."

Vontra... Urbosa believed she had met her a few times, usually during strategic meetings. She struggled to put a name to a face, but that might have been because the face in front of her was proving a distraction.

"I've always wondered what it was like to spend so much time traveling. I usually accompanied my noble mother's excursions into Hyrule, but this is the longest time I've spent on the road."

"I like it well enough. You see much more in the desert than you would think. Strange things happen in the sand." Stanna wrapped an arm around her knees, thinking to her most recent encounter with a Molduga. The monsters were usually content to keep to themselves, but sometimes when the group was traveling together, the goats and supplies made too much racket to go undisturbed. They were magnificent creatures. Massive, terrifying when disturbed, but absolutely beautiful in their harsh, battle-hardened form.

"I've heard the rumors... Ghosts, is what they say in the market."

"I could tell you stories, Urbosa. The land we occupy is ancient. I'm sure there are things we'll never be able to experience, let alone understand."

"Why don't you? I don't think either of us will be making it to town before nightfall."

The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, coloring the world a vibrant, bold orange. The outlines where the rays hit the rest of the sky faded to soft peach, then back into blue, foretelling the approach of the moon and stars. Stanna looked up to watch the celestial painting swirl into each other. Her expression read as though she was paging through an encyclopedia of stories, all wrapped up in her head.

"Far, far to the west, beyond the great fairy fountain and the bones of the ancient, sits a temple. We don't know if it's Gerudo, we don't know if it predates our people... In fact, I wouldn't swear to it that it truly exists at all. I've only seen it once; in the darkest sandstorm we had seen in years. One of our goats had wandered off into the thick of it. I knew if we didn't find it before the end of the storm, we wouldn't see him again." 

Stanna wet her lips, thinking back to that day.

"I could hardly see, even with my protective gear. Have you ever heard the dunes roar at night? In the heaviest winds, it's like being at sea, but the ground beneath you shifts, and you don't have a raft for safety. You can't trust the world around you. The sun is blotted out, but you know it's day. The only light to guide you is reflected in the grains of sand that blocked it out in the first place." 

"I followed what I thought was the bleating of our goat, further and further into the wastes. Before I knew it, I couldn't see the tents behind me anymore. I was absolutely, entirely alone - nothing mortal could have followed me. The snakes and lizards had all found burrows or been buried against their will, the birds were safely in the cliffs. But I still heard my goat, and by the Heroines I followed him."

"Though I followed his sounds, I could never see him. The only thing I could see among the sand in that trek were flashes of purple. As if darkness could radiate light. A lantern, I fancied. I could never make out an outline, like it faded into the desert every time I could focus on it. I could have imagined the entire affair to explain what I saw next, but I knew I was being guided towards something ancient. Something I should not have been witness to."

"The sand finally started to thin out as I came to a courtyard of worn stone. I wiped the dirt from my eyes and shook out my hair before peering around. I was near an oasis, marked by a clutch of trees and sand grass. The courtyard was protected from the wind, as it seemed to have been carved out of the very earth itself. As I followed the sand-smoothed paving stones, I was finally able to make out what the structure before me was. A massive temple, carved of stone as the path beneath me, but unlike anything I've seen. A statue of a woman, seated, eyes downcast. She was not sculpted as the statues of the Heroines were. In some ways her expression is softer, but her gaze is piercing, as though you were being judged. A snake wrapped around from her torso, its head resting above her shoulder. My goat forgotten, I approached."

"I felt compelled to follow the path. I had no choice in the matter. Whatever force this temple was built to, it had power over me in that moment. The statue's eyes must have been as tall as I was, but I was locked onto them like a mouse stunned by a serpent’s cool gaze. I heard a voice, but I couldn't make out the words. To this day, I couldn't have told you where this voice originated from. Maybe it was my own voice speaking back to me. But all of the signs kept pushing me towards the temple's door. Just as I fell under the statue's gaze, I was plunged back into darkness." 

Stanna drew a deep breath from the cooling evening air. The experience had shaken her more than she cared to admit. In fact, she rarely told this story for fear of others thinking she was mad.

"When I was able to see again, it had all vanished. The temple, the statue, the oasis... I was standing in the sandstorm again, not ten yards from where I'd started. My goat was found over the next dune - he came running for me when I cried out for help. Maybe he'd seen the same thing." Her joke came weakly. Clearly whatever had happened that night changed her somehow, no matter how real the experience had been. 

Urbosa let the story wash over her. Stanna's flair storytelling was as strong as her musical talent, but the content of the story fascinated her. A forgotten temple, far to the West of the desert, hidden by some form of charm, some spell... She could only imagine what such a structure could hold. Were she a foolhardy sort of _vai_ , or if she had fewer responsibilities, she might have been tempted to run into the desert to find it herself. 

"The desert does keep secrets, Stanna. Secrets I don't think she'll ever set free."

"Indeed."

The pair both looked over the horizon for several pensive minutes. The ocean was beginning to fade into the sky as stars replaced the dazzling light of sun on the waves. Urbosa retrieved a few logs she'd been carrying in the event of making an emergency fire. The night was becoming cold, and their rubies could only do so much in preventing the chill. She built a small fire for the pair of them, using a knife and some flint to spark the grass kindling beneath it. When she had finished, she leaned against the same stone Stanna rested upon.

"What brought you up here, Urbosa? I doubt this is a significant spot on your _Atur_."

"Correct again," Urbosa chuckled to herself. "Though I suppose romance could be extrapolated in diplomatic affairs. It's a stretch to call it history, though."

"I could always justify mine with love songs... Though the road that leads there from craftsmanship, and skill beyond it..." She laughed, resting her head against her bent knees. "The Lady of Skill probably wouldn't approve."

"Does Skill always begin North, then?"

"No, actually. We're supposed to follow the Southern Route, first." 

"We should have met earlier. I took your route, and you took mine."

The pair shared a laugh over their disregard for tradition. Before a young _vai_ set out on her _Atur_ , tradition mandated that she set goals for herself in alignment with her chosen Heroine. Chieftains typically took on the Heroine of Spirit regardless of her _Atur_ goals and made a pilgrimage to central Hyrule before exploring the rest of the land; aspiring craftswomen took after the Heroine of Skill and would travel their way from the Southern provinces until they hit the sea. Those that followed the Heroine of Endurance, usually soldiers, would make their way to Death Mountain, weapon-crafters who followed the Lady of Flight would study with the Rito, devotees to the Heroine of Motion usually followed the mountains as explorers and cartographers, and those that followed the Heroine of Gentleness, generally those invested in civic planning or healing, would spend some time with the Zora. There was no real plan for those that followed the Heroine of Knowledge, but they tended to spend the most time wandering the whole of Hyrule.

However, the best laid travel plans could go awry, and when given the freedom to leave Gerudo Town, or their family's group, most young Gerudo would plan their own route or simply follow their fancy as it struck them. They would learn the skills they had set out to learn in due time, but it was no secret that their _Atur_ was, at least in part, a personal exploration: some flexibility was warranted.

"What a pair we make. Two rogue Gerudo in Faron."

"I think that's the name of a poem, somewhere..." Stanna joked, poking at the fire with a spare twig.

"It certainly wouldn't surprise me. Where were you really heading?"

"Lurelin Village, and then North up the coast to Hateno. Ultimately, I should spend some time in Central Hyrule, but what's the hurry?"

"That was my idea as well, but the hurry in my case is diplomatic in nature."

"When are you due at the castle?" 

"Mm, assumptions... I suppose I can't complain if you're correct. I'm expected in Autumn."

"And the intervening two seasons?"

"Are my own."

"Maybe we ought to continue together, then?"

Urbosa turned her gaze from the stars above to her conversation partner.

"It's not exactly traditional, to take one's journey with another..."

"We're half strangers as it is, Urbosa. If we were from the same family, it might be different... As it is, what makes this different from those that travel with a _voe_?"

"When you put it like that..." Urbosa couldn't help the light beat of her heart as if she'd just climbed another cliff. "I do owe you a spear."

Stanna's gaze fell back to the pond which, while small in diameter, was far too deep for either of them to retrieve the now sunken weapon. She only laughed.

"I suppose you do, _Aquulifan_."

Another comfortable silence fell between them. The sun had fully sunk over the horizon, and the moon and her children, the stars were out in full force. Though they didn't usually need much sleep, both Urbosa and Stanna found themselves in an exhausted state - either from their surprise encounter, or the work it had taken to get to it in the first place. Urbosa rolled out her spare bedroll on the drier side of the grass. Generally, Stanna would have stood watch, but they had the higher ground than any would-be thieves. Stanna made herself comfortable on her own mat as they watched the fire die down into embers.

"It's decided, then?"

"I don't see any reason not to... It'll be safer with a partner anyway."

"Wonderful. It's been a week since I've had an audience."

"You can play for me anytime you wish, Stanna... It gives me strength."

Stanna felt the breath hitch in her throat, glad the darkness hid her warm cheeks. 

"Thank you, Urbosa. That means quite a bit from you."

Their words hung in the air like the embrace of the growing fog.

"Rest well. Please feel free to wake me - I've developed a habit of late sleeping."

"I will. Rest well, _Aquulifan_."

The pair dozed off side-by-side, accompanied by the nighttime sounds of crickets, the lapping of waves on sandy beaches far below, and each other's breathing. Whether either of them knew it that night, they had found what so many others spent years searching for in the Faron region. Lover’s Pond had earned its name for many reasons; its shape, the effort it took to find it, but most importantly, its history. Not one couple had soured after meeting atop the plateau, and it had just added another to its unkept record.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just gotta make an oblique Ocarina reference I guess /s/

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry about the exposition dump i promise that it'll get softer next chapter. Also Farosh is my favorite spirit I just wish he'd stop shocking me


End file.
